Smart phones that offer users easy access to content providers, such as Internet web sites, video sites, and music sites are decreasing in cost and increasing in popularity. The aggregate data usage of smart phones is much higher than that of traditional cellular phones. It is likely that bandwidth consumption will grow at a faster rate than service providers can update their networks. Heavy utilization of finite bandwidth results in unacceptable network delays and network lag. Certain areas, or zones, may be high-usage zones that, if usage were constricted in such zones, would leave more bandwidth for use by users outside of the zone. For example, it may be that peak usage at a local shopping mall on a Friday night is four times the peak usage during other times. This is sometimes referred to as a “hot spot.” The heavy network usage by the users at the shopping mall not only negatively impacts available bandwidth for other users who are within the hot spot, but also those users who are outside of the hot spot, but within the same cellular tower access area as the hot spot. Constricting, or otherwise controlling, data usage by the users at the shopping mall would provide additional bandwidth to users outside of the hot spot. There is a need, therefore, for a mechanism for controlling bandwidth usage within a hot spot, or zone, to ensure sufficient bandwidth remains available outside the zone.
Service providers are increasingly competing on price, and are thus interested in selling additional services to users. There is also a need, therefore, for a mechanism for controlling bandwidth usage within a zone that can be overridden by a user for a fee.